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Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Master of Health Science (MHS), Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
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hey guys, currently applying to:
Georgetown
Drexel
Tufts
NYMC
any recent expereinces you can share regarding these four?
Also, please give me some recommendations on similar SMPs I can apply to (1 year programs, relatively high med school acceptance rate) if you know any!
Thanks!
may I ask if you are enrolled in the interdepartmental medical science program? There appears to be a distinction between the MBS and the IMS program, which is the SMPI'm finishing up Drexel's MBS program this May and have been accepted to 4 MD schools so far. I'd say this program is great if you need a total overhaul on your application stats :academic, Research, MCAT, volunteer, etc. While I did come in already with quite a bit of clinical experience, I was lacking in all the other areas. Be prepared to work your butt off though. But if you do, you will get into med school. Everyone in my program who has really put the work in has been successful.
One caveat is you also need to be pretty self motivated in preparing yourself and getting through the program.
may I ask if you are enrolled in the interdepartmental medical science program? There appears to be a distinction between the MBS and the IMS program, which is the SMP
Are you talking about the one at Cooper? I will be attending it this June!Anyone part of the Rowan Post bacc program?
Yes that one! I want to apply for next year but i've heard bad things about post baccs. Only 4 people get interviews for the med school.Are you talking about the one at Cooper? I will be attending it this June!
I was just skimming this thread a year after making my own decision to try out a SMP. In hindsight, wow does it look as though Barry gives incentives to students to post here. It makes me wonder what those students are getting in return, or even if it's an recruiter making several accounts to hype Barry up. Some of these for-profit programs seem so sketch.
Additionally, anyone who's considering taking on a SMP needs to really think about the ROI they're getting from doing one of these. Can a family practice physician, GP dentist, or whatever specific career you're gunning for pay off the debt of both the cost of the SMP you're planning to attend plus the cost of whatever med/dental school you're gunning for? Food for thought. I feel like a lot of pre-professionals focus more on filling the boxes in order to start their career and less on what their quality of life will be life by taking on globs of debt.
Agreed. The problem lies where you have future MD/DO's or DMD/DDS's coming out with debt 2-5x higher than their expected income level as a new grad. It's only getting worse too. A bubble will eventually burst, but I'm not sure as to when that'll happen. I'd take my chances with a post-bacc before resorting to a SMP unless your debt load is none or close to none after undergrad. Otherwise you're going to have a bad time if you choose to do one of these 50K SMPs and don't get into your targeted professional school. In hindsight, a SMP is only useful and worth the risk if you're pursuing MD/DO IMO.Very true, It's why there's is, and likely will always be, a shortage of Romany care physicians. As students realize the paltry income associated with those fields, especially as compared to their new debt load, they run towards higher income specialties. From a financial point of view, as long as you're making at least as much as your debt is, then it should be easy to pay off with simple budgeting
Well I was admitted but I declined because it doesn't really seem to help that much frankly.Could someone please do an updated rating on UPenn LPS Specialized program please?
hey guys, currently applying to:
Georgetown
Drexel
Tufts
NYMC
any recent expereinces you can share regarding these four?
Also, please give me some recommendations on similar SMPs I can apply to (1 year programs, relatively high med school acceptance rate) if you know any!
Thanks!
Can anyone review Mississippi college masters of Medical Science's?
Also can anyone give me good insights on which programs I would be a good candidate for. I have a cGPA of 3.2 and a sGpa of 3.1. I have not taken the MCAT but would like the program to have MCAT prep option. I have taken the GRE and made a 298. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Hey all, this is for Rosalind Franklin University BMS (Biomedical Sciences Masters ) Program that has a linkage to all the professional schools at RFUMS, including Chicago Medical School (CMS).
1) The Pros and Cons of their program (structure of the program, learning environment, cost, location, faculty, classes, difficulty, competitiveness, other students, buildings/classrooms/facilities, etc..)
The program is structured to a certain extent, there is a great deal of organization in most aspects of the classes and schedules, but sometimes during exam weeks and other high stress times, you tend to notice the faults more often than not. The learning environment is great, the school is big in inter-professionalism, aka working with all the professional schools, however as a BMS student, little of that is experienced because of the amount of time you have to put into studying. Our school campus is open 365/24 7 which is a godsend for studying or holding review sessions. The cost is pretty hefty with tuition for the program around 48k. The location is crap, if you think you will be coming to "Chicago" to do your SMP, you are dead wrong, the school is in the north north part of Illinois/Chicago, closer to Milwaukee than Chicago. HOWEVER, because there is so little to do, you should have no distractions preventing you from studying and being successful. The faculty is great, majority of all professors here LOVE to teach and will gladly spend time with you if you have any questions, they are all brilliant in their respective fields. No joke, the program is incredibly difficult, at the end of it, I felt like it took away a couple of years off my life due to the amount of stress endured. BUT, everyone who put in the work every single day, was successful into either getting into med school or their respective professional school. Getting into the program is semi competitive, last year there were around 300-400 applications for around a 100 seats; once in the program, you dont compete against each other because you arent graded against each other; you are graded against M1 averages for exams. The other students in the program are very friendly, no one will ever turn you down if you need help, granted groups form and people tend to stick to their groups, most people know everyone else in the program. The buildings,classrooms,facilities are all decent at best, partly dated but the library has enough spots to study at and there school is surprisingly big even though its technically one building.
2) The kinds of classes you've taken and a description.
Here is the breakdown for the classes over the year.
Fall Quarter
Intro to Interprofessional Healthcare - very simple attendance based class
Clinical Molecular Cell Biology - memorization heavy medical school class where you are graded against the M1's
Medical Biochemistry - memorization/understanding heavy medical school class where you are graded against the M1's
Track Courses Option** - every BMS student selects a track, there is nutrition, leadership, health admin etc, that adds to your course load, most of the courses are online and require weekly assignments and end of term projects that can occur at inconvenient times.
Winter Quarter
Medical Physiology-A - medical school class graded against M1's
Topics in Physiology-A - special BMS class run by the Co-Chair of Admissions
Track Courses Option** 3-6
Spring Quarter
Medical Physiology-B
Topics in Physiology-B
Medical Neuroscience - Hell on earth, but fascinating medical school class graded against M1's
Track Courses Option**
As you can see, a lot of the courses fall over into the next quarter, Biochem fell over into winter and TIPS/HIPS is a year long obligation.
3) Something they wished they knew coming into the program
No one knows how much you have to study to do well in this program, most people think that they can up their undergraduate studying levels a little bit to be successful. However, you need to study every single day in order to beat the M1 average and get A's and B;s in the courses, which sounds a lot easier than it is. Know how to use ANKI because that will be a godsend for basically all the medical school classes. Develop a good routine that will stick with you when you get stressed and bogged down during finals, lifting, cooking, sleeping and dont sway from the schedule.
4) Something they would like to tell incoming students about your program
see above
5) Tips for students applying to your program
If you have stats close enough to the averages posted on the RFUMS website, give the program a shot and apply, I think the app is 50 or 100$ and you have a decent % chance of getting into the program if you have a unique background or have shown a change in your performance academically.
6) Did it help you get into medical school/dental school/etc.?
It helped me get into an MD school, no doubt about that, I had 1 MD acceptance and that was from the RFUMS BMS program getting into Chicago Medical School. If you work hard, interview well, have the grades, and arent a terrible socially akward person, you have a high chance of matriculating into CMS or any of the professional schools at RFUMS. If you dont care about getting in to MD programs, this program in my opinion has little weight because a lack of name recognition along with the fact its hard for other schools to compare the RFU curriculum against their own. The program had no impact on me getting into DO schools however as the acceptances for that came well before finishing this program.
7) Anything else you'd like to add
Take advantage of the resources provided to you, get your face out there, develop your connections and get yourself known by the faculty and staff. Be nice to everyone because they will hopefully be your family for the next 4 years!
8) A rating from 1-5 (1 being the worst (no recommendation) to 5 (full recommendation)
A complete 5. The program helped me get into a US MD Medical school, where I would have never had a shot otherwise through the normal application process. Granted you have to be willing to shave a few years off your life and sell your soul, but hey, I'll be a doctor now .
ANKI is a spaced repetition flashcard program that most med students use for their classes. It is incredibly useful and helpful and should cut down studying time immensely!Thank you so much this was so helpful. Mind me asking what is ANKI?
ANKI is a spaced repetition flashcard program that most med students use for their classes. It is incredibly useful and helpful and should cut down studying time immensely!
I've heard VCOM Post Bacc is hard but doable (I guess all Post-Baccs will be hard tbh). Seems like a good linkage program but not quite sure.I was wondering how VCOM post bacc, Drexel Pathway to Medicine and LECOM post bacc compare? Which would you recommend the most?
I was wondering how VCOM post bacc, Drexel Pathway to Medicine and LECOM post bacc compare? Which would you recommend the most?
I've heard VCOM Post Bacc is hard but doable (I guess all Post-Baccs will be hard tbh). Seems like a good linkage program but not quite sure.
Would you mind elaborating which are the original 8 SMPs?The original 8 Special Master Programs (from 2006) are the ones you should be looking into, I would not consider NYMC unless you will get some state residency love. Reason being is that largely what makes a SMP beneficial is the rigor and program reputation.
This is probably a stretch, or a dream , but has anyone been through a postbacc (specifically career changer) program where they felt as if there was more helpfulness than competition between their classmates? I apologize if someone has emphasized this in their post. I did read most of the posts but not every single one of them.
Hey everyone.
I'm a current ACLP student who wanted to put together this unofficial guide for any prospective students. Sorry for the long post, but imo it's better to be as informed as possible when choosing an SMP bc it sucks being in that position when in waitlist purgatory. I wish I saw this kind of post before coming to the ACLP last fall. As far as I know, all 17/17 ACLP students who interviewed at Tulane med three weeks ago just got our Tulane med acceptances yesterday. #TYBG #MoreLife
*** DISCLAIMER: THIS IS ALL BASED ON MY EXPERIENCES INTERSPERSED WITH A FEW ANECDOTES FROM OTHER CURRENT ACLP STUDENTS. PLEASE DO TAKE EVERYTHING I SAY WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. ***
To elaborate on the stats Austinerino gave in his prior post
Dr. Rowan - the head of the Tulane Structural and Cell Bio (SCB) Dept and thus the head of the Tulane ACLP since we're students under the SCB dept - led a new ACLP student orientation and said that 38 people applied to the program. Also, to my best knowledge, the ratio of MD to DO waitlist letters was 16 to 1 (I'm not sure about the guy who left at the start of the program), and almost all of us went to at least a top 50 USNWR National or top 50 Liberal Arts school. Most of us majored in a hard science too. I'm not saying you won't get in if you don't meet these criteria, but just want to give an accurate picture of our class.
ACLP Timeline
May to first week of August
Make sure to submit your application following the instructions on the ACLP website (I can't post links until I reach 10 posts). You'll hear back about a month after the deadline, and if accepted, will have to mail a $250 check to the SCB as a deposit since they don't accept Paypal/credit card/wire transfers. Idk why tho. Just FYI, ACLP DOES NOT QUALIFY for traditional school loans or continuing education loans because you're under the SCB dept and not the school of medicine. Though idk the details, a friend of mine in the ACLP got a bank loan, but please do speak with our secretary Shannon when the time comes. Orientation week starts last week of August where you meet the SCB staff and give your $16K ish tuition in check form for the same reasons as the deposit. You also sign an agreement that states you will TA Gross anatomy if you get accepted and ultimately attend Tulane med in the fall.Rest of August to early November
You take Gross, Developmental, and Radiological Anatomy, where you learn gross anatomy, pertinent embryology topics, and how to read X Ray, CT, and MRI scans. There are daily 8 AM lectures, which are optional, but they might help you with the day's dissection. Daily dissections are mandatory from 9 AM to 11 AM-12 PM ish depending on your lab director. The amount of information you have to learn throughout anatomy is similar to that in 11 weeks of an accelerated Organic chem I/II or Biochem I/II class plus the respective labs. Like in orgo or biochem where you have to know more than just chemical structure, there's more than memorizing structures to excel in gross anatomy. To get above average, it would do you well to memorize origins/insertions, actions of all the muscles, clinical correlations, spatial organization, and a touch of physiology as well. Reading the first few chapters a the weeks before class starts will help, but anything more than that will be a waste of your time. However, there are high yield things that you should be focusing on, so you not only have to study hard, but study smart. You have to score at or above the T1 (Tulane's version of M1) average to have a good shot at an interview. Also, don't disrespect anyone - students, faculty, staff, or anyone. T1's write peer evals of you and lab directors speak about you individually in TA meetings, so having the reputation of being creepy, childish, socially inept, annoying, etc. will hurt your chances of admission.Rest of November to late March
You'll only be taking Medical Histology, which is far less rigorous and has a significantly smaller time commitment than gross anatomy. This grade really doesn't play a role in your admission unless you fail it. Thus, there will be a lot of free time to pursue other interests. During that time, you could get involved with research within the SCB dept/Tulane SOM/LSU's University Medical Center (UMC), various jobs, volunteering at various events, or something else productive - you just want to have something to talk about during potential interviews (Tulane's will be in March). The interview day is pretty low stress; it consists of an intro presentation about Tulane, a standardized patient (SP) exercise with the SP being a current T1/T2, a faculty interview, a student interview during lunch, and finally a tour of the medical school campus. This year, all 17 of us got interviews and there was one other non-ACLP student who interviewed alongside us. You'll probably get your decision letters soon after Histology ends in late March and then the program will be done.
Life in NOLA
Weather
The nice part about NOLA is the warm, tropical weather. However, it did get as cold as 30º F and flooding does occur in certain parts of the city (my friend parked his newly leased car in from of his house only to find water up to the hood during a crazy flash flood from a tropical storm). Winters are nice (60º to 70º F), but summers are brutal with 80ºF with 90% humidity.
HousingApplying to Other Med Schools
Central Business District (CBD)Mardi Gras
Deming is the Tulane grad student housing connected to the Tulane hospital in the CBD. The major pro is that it's super convenient for getting to class. The major con is that it looks a lot like a typical undergrad dorm. However, if you do choose Deming, do make sure to pay month-by-month and not to sign a year's lease just in case you want to travel home after the ACLP ends. Rent is about $900/mo for a single room I think, but do check the website since I didn't live there. Apartments in the CBD such as Elk Place, the California Building, 925 Common, 930 Poydras, and Four Winds are other options. They're all within half a mile to the Tulane hospital and most of them are super nice. Rent is a little on the pricey side for NOLA with $1200 for a studio at the cheapest. People do bring their cars and live in the CBD, but it's totally possible to get away without one if you live here, which is another major pro. Though there is a risk everywhere of getting mugged/shot in NOLA, I just want to warn you that the CBD isn't a safe area at night. However, there's adequate security around to curb most crime. You'll thus probs be hearing police sirens and people yelling in the streets at odd hours of the night depending on where in the CBD you live (I hang out at my friend's place in the CBD a lot and I can confirm that the CBD is loud). Finally, you're going to be super close to Mardi Gras parades which is both awesome and a pain due to drunk tourists and traffic.
Uptown
A decent number people live in the Broadmoor neighborhood (including me) within a mile from the Tulane undergrad campus. The main pros are that it's quiet and rent is cheaper ($300-$900 per month depending on where you live). The main con is that you will definitely need a car here to get groceries and to get to school, but you can walk/bike 15 min to the undergrad football stadium, where a Tulane bus can shuttle you to and from the downtown med school campus. 10-15 min drive to the med school. Also we didn't get any flooding during the tropical storm and we still had water when it got shut off in the CBD/Lower Garden District.
Lower Garden District (LGD)
A lot of med students live here - especially in an apt complex called The Saulet. There are other options such as The Georgian, but I can't recall any more from the top of my head. Rent is similar to the CBD, and you'll probs need a car here depending where you live; however, a car will make life a lot easier. The Tulane bus to and from the med school campus also stops nearby the Georgian if you don't have a car. 10-15 min drive to the med school.
Mid-City
Rent is very similar to Uptown and you'll need to have a car if you live here. I don't think the Tulane bus stops in mid city though. The main con is flooding - I mentioned my friend's car being totalled in a tropical storm and it was parked in mid city when the flood happened. However, there are a lot of great restaurants in Mid-City and you're close to City Park, which is super nice. About 5-15 min drive to Tulane med
Marigny
Very few med students live here, but rent is similar to Uptown/Mid City. You're also super close to Frenchman Street, which is the party street for locals. Marigny is super hipster too. However, it's a 20-25 min ish commute to the med school so you'll def need a car here. Can't really say too much since I haven't spent as much time in friend's houses here as the other places.
French Quarter
Idk anyone who lives here bc rent is mad expensive and the area is loud af and filled with tourists all the time. Probs not the best for someone serious about school.
Lots of parades and revelry. Tulane med's spring break also corresponds to the Mardi Gras week. Get ready for lots of traffic due to road closings.
About half of us applied to other MD/DO schools while about half just applied to Tulane. Out of those 9 or so people who applied to other schools, there were about 7 interviews that led to 6 waitlists and 1 acceptance. Thus, only one person got into an MD school other than Tulane. I only applied to Tulane, so this is all I can say about the process.
To give a personal testimony of the program -
Tl;dr: I wanted to get into any allopathic med school as I reapplied. I also wanted to go to Tulane med and TA gross anatomy if given the chance. The ACLP is NOT A SCAM and is a legit post-bacc with a linkage - though not guaranteed - to Tulane med. Anatomy can get pretty gnarly bc you have to give up all your free time to studying, but prior preparation prevents poor performance and leads to your eventual acceptance unless you piss off people at Tulane med and/or have a felony or misdemeanor. The T1 class and Tulane professors are very supportive and want to see you succeed. Be prepared to have relationship problems if you are going to make it long-distance. If given the choice among a bunch of the SMP's, I would do this program 100% of the time, every time because it helped me get into med school. Idk what to say about the other SMP's bc I have never experienced them.Hope this guide helps. Please DM me for more info or questions, but tbh I won't know anything about your chances of admission to the ACLP or chances of med school admission from other SMP's since I didn't do them.
My goal was to get in medical school no matter what. If that is your goal, then the ACLP is your best choice if you are confident that you can hustle like you never have before and push through the anatomy portion. Tbh the ACLP is an unspoken conditional acceptance unless you bomb anatomy, have or get a felony or misdemeanor (more than MIP on your record), disrespect or annoy someone at Tulane, or have the grossest of your character flaws come out during your interview. So it's up to you to stay vigilant during the year and you'll see the good news come March.
Also, my parents and I were super sketched out about me coming to Tulane because of the lack of info about the ACLP and not being able to pay tuition electronically. Most ACLP students felt the same way. I know that I'm an internet stranger with Sanic the Hedgehog as my prof pic (Gotta go fast), but this program is NOT A SCAM and is meant to help you get into medical school - particularly Tulane since they get to have more gross anatomy TA's for the incoming T1 class.
I'm gonna keep it real here - the anatomy portion of the ACLP is best described as the summer camp from hell, but it'll be worth it once you get the acceptance in the spring. You'll have to go through about 200+ pages of anatomy (Gray's anatomy plus the dissection manual) with 8 hours ish of lectures a week. I'd also like to mention hours of extra lab time you'll be spending every day to elucidate all the structures. You will be sleeping late from studying and waking up early to go to dissection. Even so, you might not even be caught up with the topics for the day. If you go out to party one weekend or get lazy and decide not to get ahead in the reading, be prepared to see your exam grades in the dumpster - even taking one weekend off and not getting ahead, I scored 5 points less than my other tests. Also be ready to explain to your significant other that you need to prioritize school and then see that relationship just go sour just because they don't understand that you're too stressed, tired, and under so much pressure to devote time to them. Breaking up with your bf/gf will seriously affect your studying. However, the T1 class and the fellow ACLP students are very supportive and will help you push through this difficult time. Though you're not technically part of Tulane med, you're integrated into the Tulane med and I met some of my best friends from my lab room. The students and professors want to see you succeed and will help you out if needed. In the end, the ACLP's purpose is for students to prove that they can overcome past and present obstacles in order to excel in medical school. Excellent performance in gross anatomy comes from persistence and preparation.
There were 3 people who teetering at the average and were below at some point (edited this part since I was misinformed). All respect and no shade to them, but based on my observations, they scored poorly due to a mix of long-term relationship issues and/or procrastination when it came to studying. I'm ecstatic they'll be joining me next year since they're my friends, but geez, if you can save all that grief by staying ahead on material and working hard during the anatomy, then the post-anatomy part of the ACLP would be a lot more bearable. You don't want to waste your parent's money, your time, or the opportunity for a serious student to do the ACLP by slacking, scoring below average, and not getting interviewed by Tulane med.
esUSF Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences
1) The Pros and Cons of their program (structure of the program, learning environment, cost, location, faculty, classes, difficulty, competitiveness, other students, buildings/classrooms/facilities, etc..)
Pros
- If you are in-state, very affordable
- You are literally doing everything the first year medical students are doing. You attend the same lectures, labs, take the same tests, work in the same groups. The only thing you miss out on is the Doctoring I class.
- Along with the above point, you know exactly how you stack up against already matriculated medical students. If you think you got what it takes, you will know by the end of this program.
- A point that I loved about this program is the anatomy lab. You take the lab with the MDs, not the PTs. Although the lab structure wasn't great, we got to do a full cadaver lab, which is another advantage this program offers a future medical student.
- The new downtown campus is going to be awesome (opening up in 2019 I think). Current facilities are a con.
- Faculty care about how well you do and are happy to help. Some might not be the highest caliber lecturer, but there are plenty of resources available to make the ends meet.
- You have a summer "warm-up" course that is a bunch of group-based learning that gradually increases in difficulty until the first course starts, so you will be primed to do well from the beginning.
- Our cohort of Master's students are small (compared to the other masters program at USF that is around 250 from what they tell me) so there is an opportunity to unite together to do well.
- If you are willing to explore, Tampa has a ton to offer.
- If you have a low MCAT, the program offers an MCAT class at the end of the last course to prep you for the test in the summer. If you fall in that category, you will take a gap year.
Cons
In between
- Like any SMP, if you do poorly here, it is like the last bullet in the chamber.
- As noted above, current facilities leave much to be desired.
- There is a temptation to feel envious of the matriculated students you take classes with. Don't feel jealous. They earned their spot; you are earning yours.
- It's medical school, so it is difficult.
- Communication with our program is real bad.
- No more conditional acceptance as of 2017.
- The PT students take many classes with you, which you may love or hate. I was personally indifferent to it, except for how much they eat at events with free food.
- USF does the curriculum where you do almost no micro, pharm, or path the first year. Largely teaches how the body systems ought to work, with some disorders that reinforce that idea. I only think this matters in rare occasions and dependent on what your medical program turns out to be in the future.
2) The kinds of classes you've taken and a description.
- Intro to Medical Sciences - This is the summer warm-up course and prepares you for the rest of the year. The last half of summer is essentially 3 weeks of lectures you will be getting at some point your first year, so a great opportunity to grasp some conceptual ideas and get a great grade. The beginning part of the course is only with your fellow masters students and the last half is with a small portion of your future classmates from DPT and MD.
- Cancer Bio/Musculoskeletal System - First course and this is with the medical students. I would call this the easiest medical course you take. Basically is MSK plus biochemistry.
- Neuroscience - Also with medical students. I hate neuro and probably overperformed what I deserved. So taking that into consideration, this course was an absolute home wrecker.
- Christmas break
- Ethics - this is only with IMS. Easy A.
- Cardio/Pulm - With medical students. Many people I spoke with who hated neuro loved this course, and vice versa. Not sure if it is universal or just this program, but there it is.
- GI/Renal/Endocrine - With medical students. Currently beginning this block, but the second years say this is somewhat better than neuro and cardio/pulm.
3) Something they wished they knew coming into the program
4) Something they would like to tell incoming students about your program
- I assumed I would need a gap year even though I had a competitive MCAT. I don't think my peers had that expectation - many hoped on getting in somewhere the same cycle.
5) Tips for students applying to your program
- Besides the obvious part of performing well, last chance, etc., understand that everything you learn is making you a better medical student in the future. A short-sighted, when-is-the-next-test mindset will grind you down. Have the longitudinal view that, as a future physician, you are learning crucial facts and equipping needed tools to treat patients, even if you aren't one of the MD candidates.
6) Did it help you get into medical school/dental school/etc.?
- Some people are selected after they already apply to USF, but I emailed specifically regarding the program and got the application. The program is really seeking individuals from diverse backgrounds or had obstacles to overcome in their past. If you fit that mold, make sure it is part of your application.
7) Anything else you'd like to add
- I think it got me over the hump to get into medical school; I went from no interviews to getting accepted.
8) A rating from 1-5 (1 being the worst (no recommendation) to 5 (full recommendation)
- In the state of Florida, the price point is enough of a reason to go. If you are out of state, GET A JOB HERE. There are so many medical schools in Florida. Probably more than your home state save two. Take advantage of moving here and accept a gap year.
- Personally this program was a 5, but from what I hear from my peers who hoped to get in this cycle and did not, they would give a 3.5-4.
511/3.2/2.8 pre program. Graduate GPA 3.8Awesome thank you for the information and congratulations on all your hard work and your acceptance to medical school. Would you be willing to share your mcat score?
es
Thank you, I recently got a 506 so I’m going to retake it next month. Using Kaplan now used exam krackers last time. Did any particular method or company work for you. And thank you again for paying it forward and reaching out to me511/3.2/2.8 pre program. Graduate GPA 3.8
LECOM Post Bacc
completed 2015, now an MS1
1) Pros vs Cons
Pros:
- It is one of the few post bacc programs that has direct linkage into their med school. And you are likely to gain acceptance if you get a 3.0, 23 MCAT, and a decent interview
- Classes are challenging in that they undoubtedly prepare you for real med classes, and in most cases, the classes are taught just like how the profs would teach MS1. Many professors are extremely helpful and care about teaching, some even reply to emails on weekends and I have never had a problem with getting a quick appointment in.
- Every student gets an adviser, so if you want another science faculty rec that will boost your application, it's extremely easy to get one.
- CHEAP. Compared to rosalind franklin or VCOM's tuition for their post bacc, it is really really cheap. Not to mention the actual med school is as well for a private institution.
- Curve doesn't exist. This could be a good + bad thing which you can see explained in the cons. The pro is that no one is competing against each other and students are extremely open to sharing study guides, flash cards, and other assistance with each other without hesitation. The general atmosphere between students is thus pretty good in that everyone wants everyone else to do well because Jamie emphasizes a lot how seats are available for every single post bacc student if they hit the requirements to link in. In other words, competition is not a problem. You only have to deal with yourself and in a way, with the teachers and how they test (explained later).
- Location. Nothing largely bad about Erie besides weather. Everything is cheaper here unless you lived in a small rural town before this. Plenty of cheap housing can be found within only a couple minutes drive from LECOM. Not to mention, traffic does not exist here.
Cons:
- To clarify the 3.0 requirement, I initially thought getting a 3.0 would be a cinch. In undergrad, I got a 3.0 science GPA and not really studying as hard as I'd like so thinking that without the volunteering, research, clubs, etc. if I devoted all my time to solely studying, 3.0 would be easy. WRONG. This is not so much a "con" as it is a fair warning. We started with around 120 students and I believe only around 60-70 made the cut (though some of those may have gotten the 3.0 but not the MCAT). The classes can be extremely difficult. Difficult, but not unfair for the most part. They are challenging especially Phys, Anat, Histo, Pharm, etc..., but when you are done with them, you'll get a huge sense of satisfaction at how much you've learned. I'll go over study tips later.
- Teachers are wildly inconsistent sometimes. You'll have multiple teachers teaching one subject such as Anatomy, and they all can vary so much. For example, you'll have a teacher who has straightforward lectures then test you very easily for first month. Then second month, you'll have a prof who has very short and lacking lecture slides, then test you above and beyond his powerpoints with 2nd and 3rd order questions (true anecdote of what happened in our year). Some teachers are short and succinct in their methods, some ramble too much. Some speak way too fast, some speak slow with English as not their first language. Again, may or may not be a "con" as most if not all schools would have inconsistent teaching. Just a fair warning that not all teachers test similarly.
- Lack of curve. I mentioned before this removes all sense of competition. Yet. There have been a few awful tests where 40-60% of the class had gotten F's and C's. You cannot rely on a curve as you did in undergrad. If everyone does bad, it does not matter, if you got a raw score of 60% on a test, then that's that.
- Snow is awful here. You will find yourself scraping snow off your car once every 3 days if not 3 times a day. On top of that, Erie is a odd town to describe. It feels almost like a enclosed area where most of the people you'll meet don't understand what it's like to live anywhere else. The people are nice, but there is somewhat of a lack of diversity and options to go places since actual cities are hours drives away. Not a true con as living preferences are to each his own, but something to understand if you're used to living somewhere like NYC or LA.
2) The kinds of classes you've taken and a description.
Can go on forever about classes, this part of the response could be pages long. If you want more detailed description, just PM me. In short, some classes are 1 credit, some are 5. DO NOT underestimate 1 credit classes, there were a handful that failed the 1 credit class and so would be barred from linkage. At the same time, there were a few who missed the 3.0 by 1 credit because they may have gotten a B in it and needed the A.
3) Something they wished they knew coming into the program
Don't underestimate the 3.0 requirement. Classes ARE HARD. Fortunately, I did well starting off because I cautiously overstudied. Many did awful their first test and so that would set the tone for the rest of the year. Would you rather start strong then take it easier later because you have a cushion, or would you rather do awful starting out then stressfully try to study your ass off to pass towards the end?
4) Something they would like to tell incoming students about your program
Anyone can get the 3.0 if you put in the effort. Unfortunately, I knew a couple students, no matter how much they studied, they were just awful test takers and would consistently get C's and thus could not keep up with the program. I'm not exaggerating when I say tests are hard. You may be successful in memorizing every little detail for an upcoming test, but if you don't have the acumen to apply it or think critically in terms of a third order question, this will be a tough road. It mirrors actual med school so there's only so much you can complain about unfair tests. Also, and a big thing to emphasize. If you choose this program and decide to go here, humility is huge. You are in the post bacc, not med school. You don't have room to strut around and act as if you're the smartest cookie around. You along with others have a reason why you're doing the post bacc and it's a chance to show you have what it takes when it comes to time management and studying skills. In other words, have the social sense to act humble around your fellow classmates and soon to be friends. If you do well, don't parade it in front of others, you never know if they are having a difficult time. And this is not high school anymore, there's no sense in bragging how little you study when we all know you exaggerate. I loved our class and I still can't believe how awesome all my classmates were. Many of them would not make it in, but you end up making some strong connections regardless because of what you all go through together.
5) Tips for students applying to your program
Chances are hard to tell if presented with gpa and mcat. Really, I met a range of people from people with the lowest of the low MCAT scores, to people with MD level MCAT scores and same with GPAs. If you think you even have a chance, apply. Apply, apply. This program is a lifesaver if you want to be a physician. And if you come in with extremely low MCAT and low GPA, don't fret that that will transfer over to med school classes. I knew a girl with 19MCAT who ended up crushing this program while successfully retaking the MCAT. This is a clean slate from undergrad.
6) Did it help you get into medical school/dental school/etc.?
Absolutely. Got in when no other school even gave me an interview.
7) Anything else you'd like to add
This post bacc year is crucial. It isn't a time to have a goal like learn a new hobby or make as many friends as possible. The point is to put all your mind and effort into it so that you can get into a med school and secure your future. With that in mind, here are some study tips. OVERSTUDY, ESPECIALLY the first tests of the semester. Better to start strong and finish comfortably than to start weak and scramble at the end. Secondly, study guides and flash cards. I never did that in undergrad, and had to switch it up for med school. It helps so much to have guides to look back at especially when you're studying for finals. You only have a week to study for your cumulative finals, to go through literally thousands of lecture slides in a week is crazy. That's why most people have study guides that emphasize high yield material in a way that's more memorable. To clarify, it's easier to remember and recall things while studying you're own handmade guides as opposed to disorganized hundred slide power points that the professors put together. Not to mention, lecture slides can be lacking and you have to be able to put into your own words extra detail or notes that may be important.
Also, I haven't addressed the whole image thing with LECOM yet. To put it simply, it's blown out of proportions. Our post bacc class is smart. Smart in that everyone understands how useful this program is to their future. Meaning I have rarely heard people complain about LECOM's policies like the dress code or security, etc. Small prices to pay to become a doc when no other med school would take you. If you're going to whine about dress code or not bringing food to lecture, a reality check is in place and that just like an actual workplace, rules are in place to maintain an environment of professionalism. If you've heard active complaints about LECOM, I doubt it would be from the post bacc, and it would be from some very entitled, loud minority from the school. The tuition here is extremely low, the post bacc gives chances to people who have no other, and many of the professors and staff are the nicest people I've ever met. Complaining is in our nature as students, but usually it will be about tests and studying, not LECOM or the post bacc itself. Just my two cents.
8) A rating from 1-5 (1 being the worst (no recommendation) to 5 (full recommendation)
4 out of 5. Would be a 5 if it weren't for some awful teachers we had.